"Wait!" One of the guards approaches them and removes his hat.
"What do you want?" Allan asks in his dark tone.
"Well, according to werewolf policy, if the alpha is killed without any children or siblings, the one who takes him down will take over his position," he says, sounding uneasy. Althea would be as well if she had to say something like that to a criminal. "So you are the next alpha now."
"Ugh, no one really would even want me as an alpha god damn it," Allan groans vociferously.
"Who the hell made that idiotically hottest rule?" he asks dramatically. Althea laughed softly and nodded in agreement. Althea then suddenly recalls the girl from earlier, who appeared to be Renz's mate. She didn't see her after what happened.
"Well, we already thought about it, and Alpha Renz was not the best leader in our pack. There have been many assassination attempts on him by us because of his selfishness and cruel attitude toward his mate and the pack. Although you are a world-renowned criminal, we know that you have the confidence to become a good alpha. You don't back down when you have to protect your mate. We all witnessed it," the guard says with a fake smile.
Althea notices Allan's serious expression when she looks up. "What about Oliver?" he inquires abruptly. "He isn't loathed like me, and he has a powerful will to do what is right," Oliver says, shooting Allan a death stare. The room falls silent for a moment before the guard spoke out, likely thinking, "That could be settled," he says, sounding uncertain as he looks back. Then he turns to Oliver and bows. "Welcome Alpha Oliver," he says.
The shock causes Oliver's mouth to open. "Congratulations, Oliver, but I think it's time for us to part ways," Allan says, trying to grab Althea's hand. He begins to walk but is stopped by his younger brother.
"No, please stay; stop running, Allan; you made me a promise," he exhaled, clutching his hoodie. Althea squeezed Allan's hand, pleased with the idea. "Come on, it's time to calm down," Oliver said.
Allan then looks down at her, and she slowly nods. "Fine, but what the hell am I-" he's cut off by his now excited little brother.
"Thank you, brother. I want you to be my best and you'll train the troops," he says, smiling, "we need a strong warrior, and you're the strongest of the best. If any of the other packs disapprove, we'll push their cases into next year." he flushes his fist into the air.
Althea thinks Oliver is doing well as an Alpha, and she would not really mind being a Beta's mate. "So, will you?" he inquires.
"Are you certain that?" the guard inquires, and he nods, trusting his little brother. At the very least, more than he used to. What, now that Althea thinks about it, is Allan's promise to his younger brother? She hopes to find out one day, not that it's critical. She was simply intrigued. "Anyway, starting now, I need to relax," she said to herself, smiling.
"Fine, but don't start blaming me if all the packs come after us," Oliver says as he leaps to his feet and hugs Allan tightly.
"Wow, take a deep breath and calm down, I need to rest before I undertake anything else," Allan says, looking down at the corpse on the ground. "Somebody should tidy this damn off the ground," Althea says. Oliver then laughs at her reaction.
"Guards," Oliver asked. "Please call a pack conference so I can accommodate some people, then find somebody to tidy this up, and give them the money for cleaning this mess, and you two please lead this wonderful couple to their room," he says. They nod at each other before a couple of men take them.
Althea begins to wonder as they walk and asks, "Are you fine with this?" They halt and turn back, "Actually, yes. As long as we care for each other, we are safe," they say almost in unison.
"And how do you know I care?" Allan asks, rubbing his eyes lightly as he nods off. Althea imagines his life was sucked out of him the moment he discovered she was missing.
"Because you let your little brother rule over you. You even killed an alpha to save your mate, and made a vow to give up what you adore most for the person you love the most-"
"How the f**k do you know about that?" Allan grumbles as he resumes his walk. "My little brother talks so much for his own good."
~
One month later.
Her life felt perfect right now. She could see herself spending the rest of her life by Allan's side. She'd be his wife, watching their dog play at their feet. Laughing and smiling because we are so happy to be together. Growing old and watching their pup have his own litter of puppies, with little grandchildren running around the house.
A little shove jolted her out of her perfect life. Althea sighed and opened her eyes. When she looked up, she saw a happy Allan.
"I thought you fell asleep on me there," she shrugged, pecking his lips. He must have wanted more because he smacked his lips against her.
His lips were perfect for her, and sparks flew through her body. He drew her in closer and tucked his hands beneath her shirt. He rubbed his hands up and down her back, agitating her wolf. She tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling it slightly. She was fully awake in seconds.
His hands moved down to her buttocks and gently squeezed them. Allan had enough time to stick his tongue in her mouth after she gasped. Their tongues battled for dominance, which he easily won. He shifted her position so that her back was against the couch, and he hovered over her. His arms were supporting the majority of his weight, preventing him from crushing her.
When Allan attempted to remove her shirt, she knew it was time to call it quits.
"Allan," he said, moving his lips to her neck, causing her to moan. He continued to growl and trail his lips up and down her neck. "Allan, it's time to stop," he growled but stopped reluctantly. His lips were puffy, indicating that they were kissing.
"You're such a jerk," he remarked, shaking his head. She could tell he was excited by the bulge in his shorts. Althea blushed and averted her gaze. But it was nice to know she had that effect on him.
"Allan, I'm tired," he said as he rose from the couch.
He began to walk away, but she did not. She was too lazy to walk up the stairs, so she asked him to carry her. He turned around and gave her an odd look.
"Are you late for bed? Don't forget you're sleeping with me tonight," he smirked.
"Yeah, I'm going to bed, but you're going to carry me because I'm too tired," he chuckled, picking her up in bridal fashion. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest.
"Are you tired or lazy?" he inquired.
'Both. It's not like you have any objections to carrying me. Which is a very prestigious honor that only a few people receive." He chuckled and began walking up the steps.
'Well, as long as I'm the one doing it, I'll do it whenever you want." She yawned and smiled.
She wobbled a little, but Allan held her in place. She put on the same pajamas as last night and snuggled under the covers. Allan turned off the light and hopped in bed. He had only his boxers on, so his chest was exposed for her display. She laid her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.
She knew she'd fall asleep almost immediately because he was so warm and comfortable. She felt more at ease in bed with Allan than she did alone. Her eyelids drooped and she felt herself slipping into darkness. She heard three words just as she was about to pass out before falling unconscious.
"I love you."
~
"Beautiful, it's time to wake up," Althea groaned, snuggling closer to the heat. Its grip on her tightened, only adding to her desire to sleep. Her face rested on her comfortable pillow as she fell asleep again.
She then felt warm fingers brush through her hair, moving it away from her face. A small contented smile slowly crept across her face.
Warm lips engulfed hers, but before she could respond, they drew back. She missed having them all to herself, so she finally decided it was time to wake up. Althea opened her eyes cautiously, and the first thing she saw was Allan's handsome face.
His hair was disheveled in all directions, indicating that he had only recently awoken. His luscious lips drew together into a genuine smile. She couldn't stop herself from returning his smile. His cheerfulness was contagious.
"Good morning," she said, her voice sleepy. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. She probably resembled a small child, but it was too early to care.
"Good morning, lovely," Althea said, blushing and tucking some of her hair behind her ear. She tried to get up, but when she realized where they were, she blushed even more.
She was almost completely on top of him, with every part of her body touching his.
Their legs were intertwined, and her head was resting on his powerful chest. He had his hands on her waist, holding her in place.
"I forgot to tell you that sleep is very important to me, so waking me up when you're a perfect pillow is not a good idea," he chuckled, shaking his head. Althea enjoys sleeping. That's all there is to it. If you mess with her wake-up time, there will be consequences.
"Because this is your first offense, I'll let you go with a warning," she explained.
"What happens if I do it again?" he teased. She bit her lower lip and shut her eyes.
"You won't get to kiss me for a whole day, so I guess you let me sleep the next time." She felt his chest vibrate and his grip tightens around her.
"I'll remember that next time, but since I didn't do it this time, I get a kiss." He leaned forward and slowly brought his lips to hers.
Instead of their usual rough, heated kiss, his lips moved slowly around her. He shifted her body so she was completely on top of him with no space between their lips. His hands reached for her hips, while hers rested on his bare chest.